This application is co-pending with my three other patent applications; Ser. Nos. 720,313; 720,485; and 720,490 and having the same filing date of Sept. 3, 1976 and relating to a rotary expander engine of the Wankel type describing and claiming various aspects thereof.
This invention relates to accommodating devices and more particularly to an accommodating device for thermal transient expansions in an expander engine of the Wankel type.
A conical shaped hot working fluid rotary valve has been used in swashplate type torpedo engines for many years. The forces exerted between the valve's mating surfaces can vary widely as the material supporting and referencing the valve to some common ground point expands and contracts under the influence of transient temperature gradients existing from the time of starting of the engine to the time an equilibrium is reached. The variations in the forces adversely affect performance of the valve with respect to leakage or friction power loss. It is thus desirable to have a compensating system to maintain a consistent valve performance.